Report: Marcus Kemp leaves Chiefs, heading to Washington Commanders

Now-Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marcus Kemp is signing with the Washington Commanders, according to friend-of-the-site Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest.

Kemp, 27, follows now-former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to Washington, where Bieniemy was recently named assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.

Kemp joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent after the 2017 NFL Draft. He remained with Kansas City until 2020, before a very brief stint with the Miami Dolphins. Kemp rejoined the Chiefs in 2021 — and, as a result, finished his Kansas City career as a member of both championship teams (2019, 2022).

Praised often by Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub as a special teams ace and gunner, Kemp did not register a regular-season catch in 2022. However, with the team facing mounting injuries during its AFC championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he caught a fourth-quarter pass from Patrick Mahomes for a first down.

As mentioned, the Chiefs loved Kemp as a reliable special teamer (registering more than 800 snaps in his tenure) — and he became a player who would work with them when it came to procedural roster moves, spending time on the practice squad and taking the call-ups as they came. Perhaps he sees a window to build a more predominant role on the active roster in Washington.

“Well, Marcus Kemp has always been an outstanding professional football player for us,” said Bieniemy in early February. “He’s one of our top special-teams players. Every time Kemp is on the field, he finds a way to make plays. And Kemp, that’s why we keep Kemp in the building.

“Kemp is just a tremendous – first of all, he’s a tremendous person, alright? And then on top of that, he’s the ultimate professional. And then he brings leadership to that room.”

It should be no surprise Bieniemy recruited him.